Tharoor chair shaky as Cong hardens stand

Party isolates the controversial minister over role in Kochi IPL team. Photos

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Kay Benedict

New Delhi

April 15, 2010

UPDATED: April 15, 2010 09:04 IST

Shashi Tharoor's 'mentor' role in Rendezvous Sports winning the $333 million bid for the Kochi franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become the proverbial anchor around his neck.

The controversial Thiruvananthapuram MP and minister of state for external affairs was summoned late last night by senior Congress leader and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to explain the IPL tangle. Defence minister and former Kerala chief minister A.K. Antony was also present at the meeting where Tharoor, sources said, was read the riot act.

Antony's presence at the meeting was seen as significant as the Congress is worried about the fallout of the Tharoor affair in the panchayat polls in Kerala in June. The CPM has already started a campaign over the IPL controversy to embarrass the Congress in the state.

Sources said Sonia Gandhi may have asked Mukherjee and Antony on Wednesday morning to grill Tharoor so that the government is prepared for the Opposition backlash when Parliament convenes for the budget session on Thursday. A cornered UPA was already feeling the heat with the Opposition determined to introduce a cut motion over the runaway food inflation.

Earlier in the day, a senior minister compared the Tharoor episode with the unceremonious exit of former external affairs minister K. Natwar Singh in 2005 when it came to light that his son, Jagat Singh, was accused in the controversial Iraqi oilfor- food scandal and was named in the Paul Volcker report as one of the non-contractual beneficiaries of dictator Saddam Hussein's largesse.

This comparison sent signals in political circles that Tharoor may more than just be reprimanded.

In the case of Tharoor, it was no blood relation that benefitted from his alleged lobbying with the IPL, but a close associate of his, Sunanda Pushkar.

This allegation -- of a woman associate receiving a large amount for doing practically nothing for the franchise -- was enough for several party leaders to nudge Tharoor into resigning. Also, party sources said, there is more to the Tharoor issue politically than meets the eye.

With the contentious nuclear liability Bill expected to dominate the session's proceedings, the government needed a calm Opposition to put its view across. But the Tharoor episode could disrupt the UPA's best-laid plans. Mukherjee, therefore, has to buy peace from the Opposition until Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns on Saturday night.

The Congress' and the government's hardened stand on Tharoor was evident even in the PM's statement in Washington where he did not defend Tharoor -- as he had done in the past -- but instead promised action on the basis of evidence.

Sources said early on Wednesday, Sonia asked Tharoor to explain himself to the people before giving his side of the story. As a result, Tharoor appeared on an English news channel to give an interview on the issue.

On Tuesday, a senior Congress leader well acquainted with cricket politics was asked to hand over certain documents relating to questionable dealings of the Kochi IPL team to Sonia. Party sources said Tharoor's continuation in the government could become untenable when a probe is on.

Congress insiders also said since Tharoor -- by his own admission -- had acted in his individual capacity to influence a $333 million deal, the onus would be on him to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Lalit Modi, whose tweets opened the can of worms, continued his attacks on the minister on Wednesday, reiterating that he received an SMS from the minister not to reveal the identities of the Kochi IPL team's shareholders.

The Opposition attack, too, was relentless. BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday: "Everything is in the public domain. By abusing his position, Tharoor ensured that Sunanda Pushkar is richer by Rs 70-75 crore without investing a single farthing."

CPM politburo member Brinda Karat said: "Can a minister be part of any business dealing of the IPL which involves crores of rupees? The minister should immediately step down from office."

Such was the clamour over the Tharoor issue on Wednesday that there were rumours that the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department had begun investigating the Kochi IPL team's finances. When asked about the possibility of an Income Tax probe, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, "Any government agency is free to probe if it is necessary," indicating that the party support for Tharoor may be dying.

The minister, however, was defiant. In a television interview last night, he said: "Have I done anything wrong to resign? Obviously I am not going to be an embarrassment to the party. These allegations are false and charges levelled against me are by some people who have vested interests."